Please inform the class teacher or College Nurse if your child has head lice.

TEENAGERS AND SLEEP

Sleep research suggests that a teenager needs between nine and 10 hours of sleep every night. Yet most adolescents only get about seven or eight hours. Some get less.

Regularly not getting enough sleep leads to chronic sleep deprivation. This can have dramatic effects on a teenager's life, including reduced academic performance at school.

Causes of sleep deprivation

Hormonal time shift - puberty hormones shift the teenager's body clock forward by about one or two hours, making them sleepier one to two hours later. Yet, while the teenager falls asleep later, early school starts don't allow them to sleep in. This nightly 'sleep debt' leads to chronic

Hectic after-school schedule -homework, sport, part-time work and social commitments can cut into a teenager's sleeping time.

Leisure activities -the lure of stimulating entertainment such as television, the internet and computer gaming can keep a teenager out of bed.

Light exposure - light cues the brain to stay awake. In the evening, lights from television, mobile phones and computers can prevent adequate production of melatonin, the brain chemical (neurotransmitter) responsible for sleep.

Vicious circle - insufficient sleep causes a teenager's brain to become more active. An over-aroused brain is less able to fall asleep.

Social attitude - in Western culture, keeping active is valued more than sleep.

Sleep disorders - sleep disorders, such as restless legs syndrome or sleep apnoea, can affect how much sleep a teenager gets.